Attorney General Ellison blocks Trump cuts to public health grants for Minnesota
After AG Ellison sues, court issues order temporarily blocking Trump administration’s directive to cut $42Mto Minnesota
February 12, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Ellison released the following statement after a judge issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) today blocking the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) directive to unlawfully cut more than $600 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants to Minnesota, California, Colorado, and Illinois:
“I’m pleased to have won a temporary stop to the Trump administration’s unlawful attempt to slash millions in public health funding to Minnesota. It should go without saying, but the president is supposed to represent and serve all Americans, and it is unspeakably tragic that President Trump has instead decided to deliberately inflict pain and suffering on Minnesotans. As long as President Trump’s campaign of revenge and retribution goes on, I will do everything in my power to protect the people of Minnesota from his lawless actions.”
Today’s temporary restraining order comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Ellison and the attorneys generals of California, Colorado, and Illinois challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful cuts, which would have clawed back over $42 million in grants already awarded to the state of Minnesota, with more threatened cuts to come.
The temporary restraining order will last for 14 days, during which time Attorney General Ellison will seek a preliminary injunction extending the order for the duration of Attorney General Ellison’s lawsuit challenging the funding cuts. Copies of the decision granting the TRO and TRO itself have been attached to this release.
Background on the coalition’s lawsuit
Attorney General Ellison and the coalition explain in their lawsuit that the critical grant funding, which could have been terminated as soon as Feb. 12, allows states to track disease outbreaks, maintain and improve their data systems, and collect basic public health data the CDC relies upon. The threatened funding cuts would also force states to lay off hundreds of trained public health professionals.
On Feb. 9, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified Congress of its intent to terminate CDC grant funding in those four states without providing any specific reasons. Cuts to Minnesota’s critical public health infrastructure programs alone exceed $42 million. In their complaint, Attorney General Ellison and the coalition allege that OMB’s directive commanding agencies to cut funding, along with its implementation, violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act because it is arbitrary and capricious and exceeds the agencies’ statutory authority.
The largest grant targeted by this federal directive is the Public Health Infrastructure Block Grant (PHIG), which operates in all 50 states and funds both critical short-term infrastructure, workforce needs and long-lasting strategic investment. For example, in Minnesota, the PHIG fully or partially funds 57 Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) staff who handle a variety of important projects, ranging from public health outreach to rural Minnesota, disease tracking, emergency preparedness training and planning, and much more. The PHIG also provides at least partial funding for approximately 200 Community Health Board positions across Minnesota. These positions include public health nurses directly responsible for the care and well-being of Minnesotans.
